Kuch meetha ho jaaye? :)

He looked around him. It seemed like it was going to be a slow day. Hopefully, he’d be able to sell half of his stock atleast.
He took out his bag, laid a cloth on the cobbled pavement and began arranging his wares in careful, parallel lines- dolls on keychains in the first, torches in the second, miniature guns in the third, and plastic mobiles in the fourth row.
Aai shapath, he had forgotten the bangles! Arey, arey. Now Padmini would shout at him. He should remember to buy her a small Dairy Milk on the way home. He shouldn’t forget…shouldn’t forget…
“Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk…”

“Dairy Milk! DAIRY Milk! Dairy MILK! DAIRY MILK!!!!!”
“Uff! Will you just keep quiet?”
“But Papa promised!”
“Vinod?”
“Huh? Haan, haan, we’ll buy him one Dairy Milk! What will happen? The sky will fall on our heads? No, na?”
“But he’s putting on,Vinod! You want him to grow up and have your stomach?”
“Ay, hello! You fell in LOVE with this stomach!”
“Sure, that’s what did it…”
“MAMMA!”
“This child is going to make me break my head! Okay, Sanju! One small Dairy Milk.”

“Arey sir, kya karein? Garmi hain na, isliye stock bilkul nahi tha.”
“Arey baba, mere customers kya khareedenge? Hawa?”
“Dekho, Harilalji, is mausam mein toh chocolate vaise hi pighal jaayenge. Jitna hain, utna hi bhejo,na?”
“Aur mere bacche kya khaayenge? HAWA?!?!?!”
“Yeh aur iska hawa, saala gaa..”
“Kya bola?”
“K…k…kuch nahi, Sir! Bas, voh…Himesh ka naya gaana…”
“Hatt! Tu saala, topi pehenkar ghoomta rehta hain, jaise Apollo Bunder ka naya Amitabh ban gaya. De, chocolate de! Ek chocolate deta hain, voh bhi itna naatak karke! Yeh le, paisa…ab hatt!”
“Harilalji…woh…AIR lagaoon? Bas, score sunna tha. India-Australia ka…”
“Abey haraami! Radio bajaane ke liye thodi rakhta hoon! Ab nikal! Madar…”

Business was slow. He had only sold 2 of each. 40 rupees. Less 5 for the chocolate. Aila, Padmini wouldn’t even let him buy his lottery ticket this week!

“Mammaaaaa…It’s HOT! Can we go there?”
“Sanju, do you see that man over there? He’ll EAT YOU UP if you go near him!”
“PAPPA!!!!!”
“Happy? Scared the boy with your stupid stories!”
“What was I supposed to do? He wouldn’t stop talking!”
“Really…you’re India’s next Mother Theresa, hanh! Sanju beta…? Sanju…? Oh le le…Mamma was just joking…Come, come. What you want? I’ll buy you whatever you want from here.”
“Balloon! Torch! GUN!……Papa, Papa, can I have that mobile? It’s like your only!”
“It’s not real, beta. Accha, you want chocolate?”
“BUT PAPA I WA…Dairy Milk?”
“Haan. Come.”

He was getting too old. If only he had had a son, he wouldn’t have to carry this heavy bag. Mustn’t forget: “Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk…”

“Arey, Harilal! Kaise ho?”
“Prakashbhai! Bhagwaan ki meherbaani…sab theek hain. Tu bata?”
“Bas, theek. Uh..Prakashbhai, ek paanch rupaiye ka…”

“Excuse me, excuse me! Bhaiyya, ek paanch rupaiye ka Dairy Milk dijiye…jaldi!”
“Papa, can I have 5 Star?”
“Sanju, I’m buying a Dairy Milk. You want it, or should I only eat it up?”

“Thank you, Papa!”
“Yeh lijiye aapka chhuta. Bye, beta!”

Padmini was definitely going to kill him tonight.

~ by cranialrumblings on January 29, 2010.